Timbers' Palmer selected to Jamaica National Team

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced that defender Lovel Palmer has been selected by the Jamaica National Team for an international friendly against Colombia on Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Palmer, 26, joins three other Timbers – midfielder James Marcelin (Haiti), defender Steve Purdy (El Salvador) and defender Rodney Wallace (Costa Rica) – who have been called up by their respective national teams for upcoming FIFA international match dates.

Palmer is scheduled to rejoin the Timbers in advance of the club’s road match against the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on Saturday, Sept. 10.

A native of Mandeville, Jamaica, Palmer has 19 caps to his credit and has been part of the Jamaica National Team pool since 2005. He helped Jamaica claim the 2010 Caribbean Cup, subsequently earning a spot in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Palmer made his international debut for the Reggae Boyz in 2005 at the age of 20. He also represented his country at the U-17 level, playing in 2000 FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifiers.

For the friendly against Columbia, Palmer returns to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the same place where he made his first international start for Jamaica on March 21, 2007.